Gardening for the Birds

Those of us who appreciate our native wildlife must also have a respect for the plant life that is the ultimate source of all their food and most of their shelter.

Many animals and plants are so closely associated that their common names have been given accordingly. For example: cedar waxwing, piņon jay and sage grouse are birds closely interrelated with specific plants. In the plant world, we have rabbitbrush, buffalograss, deervetch, duckweed, and doveweed - each named for its dependent animal.

Seed plants, of which there are about 25,000 species in the U.S. alone, are the most beneficial to wildlife. These plants include our common trees, vines, shrubs, weeds, marsh plants, and farm crops.

With this being the time of year to plant in southern California, we'd like to offer some insight into plants popular with some of our native small birds. While we are concentrating on native and drought-tolerant plants, you might also check with a local nursery for more ideas.

Our knowledge in attracting small birds has come from just a little research and a lot of observation as to the likes and dislikes of these delightful creatures.

HUMMINGBIRDS: Who doesn't love and want to attract these little "jewels of the sky"? Begin by throwing away your sugar water feeders. Plant something pretty for these beauties. "Hummer" favorites include Penstemon, Agave, Ocotillo, Wild Tobacco, Paloverde, Manzanita, Columbine, Butterflybush, Fuchsia, and Sage. A personal favorite of ours and the hummers on our property, is the Mexican Bush Sage, a gorgeous plant that flowers forever!

BUSH-TITS: This tiny relative of the chickadee feeds primarily on tiny insects and arachnids found on the foliage or twigs of woody plants. Until we planted Mallows, Buckwheat and Sage, we had no bush-tits. Now they are in abundance and seem to thrive on what we have to offer.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: This charming fall and winter resident feeds on a variety of insects. His plant diet consists mainly of oats and pigweed. The preferred plants seem to be those that provide dense ground cover and a low canopy for ground foraging. These include Sages, Salvia, Penstamon, and Euryops.

BLACK PHOEBE: This is probably my favorite songbird, a lovely bird with a very sweet voice. While I wish I could clue you in on the phoebe's plant preferences, unfortunately, I can't! This primarily insect-eating member of the Flycatcher family prefers our dumpster above all else. I've never seen our phoebes give a second glance to our "wildlife friendly' landscaping. So much for gardening for wildlife. Get yourself a dumpster to draw flies and phoebes!

WESTERN BLUEBIRD: One of our most beautiful birds, the bluebird did not appear on our property until we allowed a large empty pasture to grow completely "wild". Now, in fall and winter, we have flocks of these brilliantly colored birds eating the grasshoppers in our pasture.

By planting native or drought-tolerant plants, you are providing natural food and shelter for many species of small birds. In the long run you may save yourself some money, too. Your water bill will be reduced, as native and drought-tolerant plants don't require the water that other plants do. You will also save money on wild bird seed. Before our "wildlife landscaping", we used 5 to 7 lbs. of wild bird seed daily. Now we use 2 to 3 lbs. a week, and still have all our usual group of songbirds as well as some of their less common and more elusive cousins.

— Cindy Traisi